Many think of the book of
Genesis as shrouded in the mists of time-- strange stories of people so
different from ourselves that they could be from another planet! Others see it as an interesting, but quaint,
collection of myths to explain why there are dinosaur bones (they died in the
Flood of Noah) or why the Jews and Arabs are such bitter enemies (Jews are
descendants of Isaac, the Arabs the descendants of Ishmael). Some might consider Genesis as the first
chapter of human history, told just to ‘get the ball rolling’ for the more
interesting parts that follow!
In the first book of our Scriptures, we begin to learn some
things about God, who set the principles of creation to work as he gave much
thought and care to what he created. We
discover that God does not count creation, including the human enterprise, as
just another project to check off the ‘to do’ list before moving on to the next
one. From the beginning, God decided to take an active part in the lives of men
and women, and to reveal himself to those who responded in friendship and
trust.
Hearing
about the lives of our ancient ancestors, we are drawn into the stories of
these men, women, and children. Genesis introduces us to the idea of a ‘Family
Tree of the Human Race’. We meet
adventurers like Noah and Abraham, strong women like Sarah, schemers like Rebekah and her son Jacob,
scoundrels like Cain, and dreamers like Joseph.
We read their stories of family feuding and sibling rivalry, of envy and
jealousy, of love and hate, of greed and generosity.
That
family tree extends through time and history to include our own family branch—
as immigrants, as Americans, and the generations that come down through us to
our descendants. And the centuries melt
away, and we realize that Genesis not only tells us something about God but
aslo we learn something about ourselves.
Take the story of Esau and
Jacob. Parents of more than one child
will nod in recognition at this account of sibling competition. Brothers and
sisters may chuckle at the memories of deals made with unsuspecting
siblings. One of Esau’s more important
blessings was his birth right. As the
eldest son, he would inherit his father’s position in the community and the
bulk of his family’s wealth. And he was entitled to a special blessing from his
father—not just in the titles and goods of the world, but a bestowing of power
and confidence to be able to accept and increase the benefits of his birth
right.
Because
God loves each of us as if we were the only child, we all have a birth right—an
entitlement to gifts and blessings which we do not earn and cannot demand, but
can only receive from a kind and gracious Giver.
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